On October 29, 2006, s/v Whisper left on a two and 1/2 year journey from Pasadena, MD through the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and the West Indies. Her crew consists of Hans Eriksson, Kristen Miller and KitKat.

25 January 2007

We’re writing this at anchor in Grand Cays, one of the northernmost cays (pronounced “keys”) in the Bahamas. We came here via West End and Great Sale Cay over the course of two days.

We left West End on January 23, the day after we arrived, first thing in the morning, around 7:30AM. (The marina cost $70/night and we want to save money like that for first-rate meals out!) The chart showed Indian Cay Channel as a viable shortcut on the way to Great Sale Cay, however, once we arrived at the “entrance” we weren’t quite sure where exactly to go and we didn’t want to rely entirely on our GPS to get us over a shallow coral reef. Instead we trekked 10+ miles north to Memory Rock and turned due East to Great Sale Cay, bypassing Mangrove Cay on the way. The total trip was about 50 miles and we arrived after dark around 7:00PM.

Kristen on the bow, hamming for the camera

Sunset on the Bahama Banks on the way to Great Sale Cay.

The trip across the banks was the first time we were able to see the reputed crystal clear waters of the Bahamas. As soon as we entered the Banks, the waves subsided with the shallow depths and we were able to see the bottom all the way to our anchorage. We motorsailed in about 3-4 meters of water, leaving the steering and pilotage up to the GPS and autopilot and sat on the bow for the majority of the day. Hans saw two sea turtles swim under the keel.

After listening to the weather report by Chris Parker on our SSB radio at 7:00AM, we swam down to the anchor and looked at Whisper’s keel underwater. The bottom was mostly all sand and grass. Kristen tried to catch a fish for breakfast but was not as successful as the turtle we saw swim by and catch a fish at the bow. We weighed anchor around 9AM and headed towards Grand Cays, about 18 miles away. There was no wind at all, so we had to leave the job up to our trusty Beta engine, Boris. Along the way we motored through a pod of dolphins and they all took turns swimming through our bow wake. Approach to Grand Cays

We arrived at the anchorage at Grand Cays around 1:00PM, quickly ate lunch, inflated the dinghy and went ashore to check out our first Bahamian town. The population of Grand Cays is about 500 people, all living in a very densely populated small town. There is one car belonging to the telephone company, but lots of golf carts which is the second most favored form of transportation, with boats being the first. The houses appear to be all concrete/cinder blocks covered with wood and all look rather weathered. The school is large and we saw all the kids get out of school in the afternoon wearing their uniforms. Very smart for a small island, miles from any other population center. After two visits to the phone company office (Batelco) which was closed both times (employee at a long lunch!), the women who worked in the government office allowed Kristen to use their phone to call her sister who is sick. We stopped at Ron’s Hot Spot for two cold Kalik’s, the local beer, and then walked down to the docks and met some fisherman who sold us almost 2 pounds of lobster tails for $14. We initially paid $14 for one pound, but then a second fisherman, Ellis, scoffed at our small bag and threw in 3 more tails for free! We took our lobster back to the boat and cooked up a great lobster curry with a recipe from a fellow cruiser who has authored “An Embarassement of Mangoes.” Caribbean Spiny Lobster tastes different than Maine lobster—it is not as sweet and a little stringier. Kristen prefers the Maine lobster, but there were no complaints when the lobster curry was served.

On Thursday, the 25th, we got in the dinghy and started to explore the area beaches. We also spent some time trying to learn how to read the depth of the water based on the colors. Tricky business, but something we’ll learn, hopefully not the hard way! The first beach was covered with seaweed and consequently was a little smelly. We moved on to Well’s Beach which faces West and was beautiful. There were lots of conch (pronounced “conk”) and starfish on the bottom as we dinghied over. We lingered a little too long and the black clouds on the horizon caught up with us as we were on our way back. The rain was freezing cold and also hit our skin like beebee gun pellets. The salt spray from the ocean didn’t help much either. That squall was the beginning of the cold front which kept us on the boat for the rest of the afternoon and the evening. We played Scrabble and pored over the chart and our guidebooks, thinking about where we’re going next. Kristen made chicken soup with dumplings for dinner and we had a Scrabble rematch. The score stands at 1-1 and counting.

Deserted beach at Grand Cays

Another deserted beach at Grand Cays, this one is Mermaid Beach, one of President Nixon's old vacation spots.

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The Log of Whisper in print

Do you love looking back at old blog postings but hate having to search through the archives? Do you tell your old Aunt Mildred all about the Log of Whisper but can't show her because she doesn't have a computer? Do you have insomnia and need a sleeping aid? Great news! The Log of Whisper is now available as a book! Buy your copy now!

The default version is a hardcover with a dust jacket. Both soft cover and hardcover image wrap versions are available. They are identical to the dust jacket version except they will not include the information on the inside flaps of the dust jacket.

About Whisper"s crew

Hans:Raised in Northern Sweden by fearless sailors and descended from a wooden boat builder, Hans spent more time as a kid skiing, fishing and terrorizing his younger sisters than sailing. After protecting the father land by serving as a medic/machine gunner in the highly ironic Swedish military, he was off to the United States for college where he met Kristen.

Kristen:Raised in land-locked Southern Vermont by a Brit and a Vermonter, Kristen sailed sunfishes at summer camp but spent most of her childhood playing in the snow in the winter and building forts and dams in the woods in the summer. After college, the allure of living on a boat in the tropics was much more appealing than 3 years of law school and the inevitable debt.

Walking along the waterfront in Stockholm in the summer of 2001, the two would-be voyagers hatched their plan and worked towards it until their departure in November of 2006.

Kit Kat:Reared in the backwoods of Northwestern Montana, Kit Kat had never seen the ocean until thrust down Whisper's companionway on October 23rd 2006. In spite of constant hunger, she has adapted remarkably well to the life of a boat cat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.You're so young. How can you afford doing this at your age? A.The simple answer is prioritizing. We were lucky to chose the cruising lifestyle before we graduated from college, so nearly every major decision was based on our future plans afloat. All of our purchases (and lack thereof), career decisions, location and lifestyle were aimed at saving money for a 2 year sabbatical from the "real world." Once we found ourselves in the right place (Washington, D.C.) and in the right jobs (Hans: photography, Kristen: paralegal), we started saving money by living well below our means.

Q. Don't you get sick of each other?A. 99.9 % of the time, no. Of course we have the occasional disagreement or misunderstanding but we're quite happy most of the time.

Q. Don't you think that you're going to get bored?A. No, not really. There's always something to do on the boat, or another place to go with new friends to meet.

Q. What about storms? Isn't it very dangerous?A. Try driving on the beltway at rush-hour! Sailing is very safe as long as you aren't on a schedule. Weather patterns are generally predictable, and we have the luxury of waiting for good weather before setting off on the next leg of our journey.

Q. What about Kit-Kat? How does she like the cruising life?A. Contrary to her occasional blog posts, she likes it just fine on the boat. When things get a bit bumpy she finds a safe spot to wedge herself. When we're at anchor, she has the run of the boat, and enjoys lying in the sun and stalking the seagulls. No... she hasn't fallen in the water yet.

Q. So, did you both grow up sailing?A. Not really. We both spent a couple of summers in our childhoods sailing on little dinghies, but nothing that would have prepared us for sailing a boat like Whisper. We learned through copious amounts of reading, and by trial and error on the Chesapeake Bay in the past two years. Lessons are for sissies!

Q. What will you do after cruising?A. We don't really know yet, although we both agree that having all this time will help us make a very deliberate decision about our future. Of course, if there are any "get rich quick" schemes out there send them our way!Update: Hans is starting medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia; Kristen is busy looking for work in Philadelphia and writing articles for sailing magainzes. Again, we're open to any and all "get rich quick" schemes!